Culture

The strong cruise industry growth fuels continuing evolution of “ship hotel” vacation experiences. Over the years, lines and operators have expanded their itineraries and now include convenient embarkation ports and diverse ports of call.

Puerto Ricans are by law natural born citizens of the United States and may move freely between the island and the mainland. However, as it is not a state Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the United States Congress which governs the territory with full jurisdiction.

The nation’s only touring African American rodeo, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo has brought bulldogging, roping, bareback bronco riding, bull riding, barrel racing and other events to cities across the nation for 27 years.

The farmlands of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Ontario are among the most productive in North America. Many of the farmers in these areas are different, but different by choice. They are Old Order Mennonites, sometimes called the “Plain People,” and they trace their heritage back hundreds of years.

The Cole Bros. Circus was the oldest, American Circus performing under the Big Top. W. W. Cole, who inaugurated the Cole Bros. Circus title in 1884, began his circus career in 1871, amassing fortune and fame by bringing to cities and villages the most astounding marvels of the day. Cole Bros. stopped touring in 2016.

When slavery was abolished in 1863, the Gullah Geechee people of the Sea Islands settled in the lands they once worked as slaves when plantation owners abandoned their property. They continued their traditions and created their own communities steeped in religion and African traditions. They are known as Gullah in North and South Carolina and Geechee in Georgia and Florida.

Represented Member Photojournalists

Kathleen Flynn

Based in the US SouthCurrently in Rochester, NYAvailable for Assignments Nationwide
504.259.4515EMAILBIO

Adria Malcolm

Based in the US SouthwestAvailable for Assignments Nationwide
505.269.3460EMAILBIO

Pete Marovich

Based in the US Mid-AtlanticAvailable for Assignments Nationwide
540.560.3681EMAILBIO

Justin Merriman

Based in the US NortheastAvailable for Assignments Nationwide
412.926.8994EMAILBIO

Brian Plonka

Based in the US Pacific NorthwestAvailable for Assignments Nationwide
208.819.1711EMAILBIO

Jeff Swensen

Based in the US NortheastAvailable for Assignments Nationwide
412.638.2128EMAILBIO

Our Advisors

Mark Murrmann

Mark Murrmann is the photo editor at Mother Jones. He came to the magazine in 2007 with a background as a photojournalist.

He was named one of Lürzer Archives' 200 Best Advertising Photographers of 2010/11 and was chosen for American Photography 27 and 29.

Mark is a contract photographer with ZUMA Press.

Nikki Kahn

Nikki Kahn is a photojournalist based in Washington, D.C.

She won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography in 2011 with her colleagues at The Washington Post "for their up-close portrait of grief and desperation after a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti."

Before joining the Washington Post in 2005, Kahn worked for Knight-Ridder Tribune Photo Service in Washington D.C. as a lead photographer and editor.

Kahn has covered stories both nationally and internationally.

John Kaplan

University of Florida Professor John Kaplan’s honors include the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, POY National Newspaper Photographer of the Year, the Overseas Press Club Award for Feature Photography, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Outstanding Coverage of the Disadvantaged, and the Nikon Documentary Sabbatical Grant.

Kaplan has been named a Fulbright Scholar and has served a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes, Pictures of the Year International and the Best of Photojournalism. He is the author of two books, Photo Portfolio Success and Mom and Me.

Kaplan’s autobiographical film, Not As I Pictured, has appeared nationwide on PBS and has won the CINE Golden Eagle Award and several Best Documentary honors. His work is exhibited at museums and galleries worldwide.​